What Is a Phoenix?凤凰是什么钥

If you could be any bird， real or not， which would you choose？ fansmay say that one bird rises above the rest： the phoenix.

如果你可以成为任何一种鸟，无论是真的还是假的，你会选择哪一种呢？《哈利·波特》的书迷们可能会说，有一种鸟超群绝伦：凤凰。

The phoenix is a mythical2 bird. It has been around since the time of the ancient3 Egyptians. It was first described in writings by the ancient Greeks. Thestories about phoenix moved on to the Romans then. It’s been passed along fromone generation4 to the next.

凤凰是一种神话中的鸟。它在古埃及人的时代就已经存在了。它最早是由古希腊人用文字描述的。后来，关于凤凰的故事传到了罗马人那里，自此代代相传。

The phoenix has been differently described over time. Many believe thisspecial bird looks like some bird. But others think it looks like other birds. Manypeople describe a picture of a beautiful bird with red and gold feathers5. Others sayits feathers are purple or bear all the colors of the peacock.

随着时间的推移，人们对凤凰的描述有所不同。许多人认为这种特殊的鸟看起来像某种鸟。但其他人认为它看起来像另外几种鸟。很多人描绘出一只美丽的长着红色和金色羽毛的鸟。其他人说它的羽毛是紫色的，或者有孔雀羽毛的所有颜色。

All pictures agree on one thing： a golden halo6. The phoenix reflects7 so muchlight like the Sun. People have always thought the phoenix has something to do withthe Sun. According to mythical stories， only one phoenix lives at a time. It lives forabout 500 years.

所有的描述都有一个共同点：金色的光晕。凤凰像太阳一样反射很多光芒。人们一直认为凤凰与太阳有关。根据神话故事，一个时间段只存在一只凤凰，它的寿命约为500 年。

At the end of its life， the phoenix builds a nest. It then sets the nest on fire andpasses away in the fire. Out of the ashes8， a new phoenix comes to life. When it’sstrong enough， it flies the last phoenix’s ashes to Heliopolis in Egypt.

在生命临终之时，凤凰会筑好一个巢穴。然后，它会点燃巢穴，并在大火中死去。从灰烬中，一只新的凤凰复活了。在足够强大时，它会带着死去的那只凤凰的骨灰飞到埃及的太阳城。

Birds like the phoenix can be found in the mythical stories of many cultures. Itincludes stories from China， Japan， Russia， and American Indian nations. Today， thephoenix is still seen as a symbol of getting back to life after a setback9 by risingfrom the ashes.

像凤凰这样的鸟可以在许多文化的神话故事中找到，其中包括来自中国、日本、俄罗斯和美洲印第安人的故事。时至今日，凤凰仍然被视为一种在经历挫折后重新振作的象征。

Do you know any stories about this special bird？ After all these years， thephoenix is still a popular topic in stories today.

你知道关于这种特殊鸟类的故事吗？这么多年过去了，凤凰至今仍然是故事中的热门话题。

▏Notes

1. phoenix 凤凰，不死鸟

2. mythical 神话的，神话中的，想象的，虚构的

3. ancient 古代的，远古的

4. generation 一代人

5. feather 羽毛

6. halo 日，月或其他发光体的光晕

7. reflect 反射，光，热或声音

8. ash 灰，灰烬，废墟，骨灰

9. setback 挫折，阻碍